State Board of Elections overturns Pasquotank ruling against student

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(Credit: Montravias King Facebook page)

State Board of Elections overturns Pasquotank ruling against student

(Credit: Montravias King Facebook page)

The North Carolina Board of Elections has reversed a decision by the Pasquotank County Board of Elections that would have prevented Elizabeth City State student Montravias King from running for city council.

The decision has statewide repercussions, confirming that college students may use a dormitory address as their place of residence to vote and to run for office.

The decision also protects the right to vote for members of the military, as they use military bases as places of residence. Josh Howard, the chairman of the State Board of Elections, in making the analogy between college students and members of the military, said their right to vote should not be jeopardized.

“I won’t tolerate that,” Howard said.

The meeting was attended by the Rev. Dr. William Barber, the president of the NAACP, and a group of students from historically black universities and colleges.

Maja Kricker, a member of the State Board of Elections, expressed frustration that King’s residency was questioned at all after listing some of the evidence showing that he indeed lived at the dorm.

“How much more skin in the game can you have?” she asked.

While questions were raised about the address on King’s drivers license, evidence was provided showing that he used his dorm address to vote, that he received a paycheck and paystub from a temporary job at that address, was a dorm assistant and had a post office box on campus that only dorm students can have.